


Tea In The Sahara

by diannelamerc



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alien Culture, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Time, Jealousy, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-06-21
Updated: 2006-06-21
Packaged: 2017-10-09 18:45:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/90403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diannelamerc/pseuds/diannelamerc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose would be the first to admit that landings in the TARDIS were rarely smooth. But they didn't usually leave you sprawled on the ceiling either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [laura-issac](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=laura-issac).



> This was written for [laura-issac](http://laura-isaac.livejournal.com/profile) in [The First Annual Doctor Who Summer Solstice Fic Exchange](http://ponygirl72.livejournal.com/2997.html).

Rose would be the first to admit that landings in the TARDIS were rarely smooth. But they didn't usually leave you sprawled on the ceiling either.

Just as she was getting her bearings, one last jolt tipped the whole room on its side. Rose slid down the previously horizontal surface, landing square on her bum on what used to be a side wall.

Fortunately, there wasn't too much sitting around loose in the control room. Unfortunately, she was ready to swear that everything that was had hit her at least once in the last few minutes.

Clinging reflexively to the ceiling at her back — and was she in for a nasty fall if the TARDIS decided to right herself after all! — she peered through the smoke set off by that last burst of sparks, trying to spot Jack and the Doctor.

"Rose!"

Well, the Doctor sounded all right at least. Then again, he'd probably been in a lot worse landings in his day, which was not something she really wanted to think about. "I'm all right, just a bit bruised. Where's Jack?" But even as she said it, the room cleared enough for her to spot the usually so-smooth ex-Time Agent wrapped in what had to be an uncomfortable full-body tangle with the coat rack. The Doctor was already moving over to give him a hand, so Rose concentrated on trying not to laugh.

She pulled herself to her feet as she watched the Doctor help Jack to his. They both looked so serious about it she couldn't help but tease. "Need a bit of practice on the landings maybe? Not that it's not a nice ceiling," she patted the surface in question affectionately, "But we seem to have fallen over here."

"This isn't like getting pissed at the local pub and ending up in a ditch one night, Rose." The Doctor said. He ignored her spluttered protest to continue the lecture, navigating awkwardly towards the console, now sticking out of the far wall. "The TARDIS navigates in four dimensions at once and automatically shifts herself to orient to the local gravity conditions. She doesn't 'fall over'. If the floor's that way," he pointed to what was now serving as a wall, "Then that's where she thinks down _is_." He tried to pull the view screen into a position where he could see it, and ended up muttering something rude under his breath when the motion released a small shower of metal odds and ends on his head.

Jack was making his way over to the console himself, but offered her a bit more of an elaborate explanation as he went. "Something's wrong with the basic stabilizer system, Rose, if not with the central processing." Rose caught the surprised look of grudging admiration the Doctor shot at Jack, before he returned to scowling at what controls he could reach. "And if the ship can't even manage three dimensions at the moment, the Doctor's certainly not going to be trying her in four anytime soon."

"That means no time travel, Rose," the Doctor snapped without looking up.

"I know what it means," she snapped right back. "I'm not stupid, you know!" She thought she caught a wince on his face at that. At least that's what she told herself as she pulled herself up to her feet, trying not to step on any of the light fixtures, just in case.

"And don't go running off anywhere."

She hated when he got like this, all Time-Lord superior and treating her like a child. "Where would I go?" she demanded, toes inches from the opening where she could just make out the words 'Police Public Call Box' printed in reverse. "We're lying on the front door!"

That brought no response at all, and Rose was about ready to say something she'd probably regret before Jack stepped into the uncomfortable silence. "So," he addressed the Doctor, completely serious for once, "What can I do to help?"

The Doctor eyed him. The TARDIS' newest acquisition, an admitted con artist and seducer, had only been with them a few days, and for all Rose had warmed up to him right off, the Doctor still seemed decidedly wary. Apparently realizing he didn't have much of a choice at the moment, he relented. "Well, if you could try to reach the temporal coil on your side, while I get the regulator over here—"

"Do you have it hooked to the green lever, or is it on the switch behind?" Jack asked, focused intently on his side of the console. Rose, with nothing better to do at the moment, watched the Doctor scowl to himself in a way that probably meant Jack actually knew what he was talking about.

"The lever. You'll need to turn it clockwise when I get the internal spatial dampener...." As they trailed off into ever more elaborate technobabble that meant nothing to Rose, she couldn't help admiring how well they worked together. They really were a lot alike, far more than the Doctor cared to admit. And, after a couple of turns around the control room that first night, it was clear that they could both dance as well. She hadn't missed the Doctor's possessive attitude either, for all he probably had thought he was being subtle about warning Jack off.

Come morning though, everything had been frustratingly back to normal. Jack flirted, but kept a respectful distance. And the Doctor showed no further signs of demonstrating his ability in the 'dating and dancing' arena.

"All right then. One, two—"

"Rose, hold on to something."

She was about to ask just what she was supposed to hold on to when the ship gave a sickening lurch and she found herself flat on her face on yet another stretch of wall.

A loud curse, in a language the TARDIS apparently didn't care to translate, startled her. She looked back at the console, noting the shocked look on Jack's face. Must have been quite the curse then. "I'm fine, thanks!" she offered, getting back to her feet. "And the door's back on the side now."

"Right! Good," The Doctor genuinely smiled at her for a moment, looking guilty. Then he sighed. "But she rolled the wrong way."

It didn't take much to realize what he meant. The screen he had been straining to see was now well out of either man's reach, flashing bright colors onto their new ceiling. "Well at least I can take a peek outside now." Rose picked her way over to the door.

"No!" both men called out in unison. Her reflex to let them both have it that time must have been clear on her face, because Jack quickly clarified. "There's no telling what's out there, Rose. We could be underwater or on some moon with no atmosphere."

"Oi! The TARDIS would just let us drown like that?"

"Of course not," the Doctor countered, before admitting: "Not usually. It's probably fine, Rose—"

"But you can't be sure," she finished.

"Not until I get a good look at that screen," he pointed up. "I think it's actually working now."

"So we roll the TARDIS again?"

"We didn't actually _roll_, Rose. The TARDIS didn't move at all, it's just her take on gravity that shifted."

She just crossed her arms across her chest and stared at him, knowing he was stalling with his lectures. Her eyes flicked over to Jack.

Jack looked to the Doctor, who shook his head. "It's too hard to reach those controls again like this, and I don't want to go messing about with things any more until I know just what's wrong."

"We might just end up on the door again anyway," Jack pointed out. The Doctor gave him a nasty look, but didn't argue. Jack smiled. "So why don't I give the lovely Rose a boost up so she can see the panel and read it off to you?"

"I can boost her just as well," the Doctor snapped back, only causing Jack's grin to inch wider.

"I'm sure you could. I'd even be more than happy to give you a boost if you'd like." The grin was definitely salacious now. "But I think you'd better have both hands free to make the repairs."

The Doctor clearly wanted to come up with a counter to that, but couldn't. "Fine," he said, moving to unfasten an access panel. Not that he was avoiding looking in their direction.

Jack smiled and held a hand out to Rose.

With a bit of struggle and far more groping than was probably strictly necessary, on both sides, Rose ended up settled on Jack's shoulders. She had thought the Doctor's posturing a bit silly, but she had never realized before what an intimate position this could be. Just to keep upright, her legs were wrapped over his shoulders, tight against his sides. She could feel the heat of his hands on her bum right through her jeans, and she was pressed tight up against the warm back of his neck....

"Not that I'm objecting, mind you," Jack said with a chuckle, startling her out of her thoughts, "But I think you'll do better standing up."

Looking up, she blushed to realize he was right. There was no way to reach the screen from where she sat, she needed another two or three feet at least. She grabbed for the first thing within reach on the console that didn't look like a control of any kind and managed to pull herself up, grateful again for her gymnastics training and ignoring the Doctor's annoyed glare.

"Fine, I've got the screen now," she said, tilting it to a slightly better angle with one hand. "And I see sand. Lots and lots of sand."

"That's it?" The Doctor stared up at her. "Try adjusting the knob on the side— no the other one."

But it made no difference. All the screen showed was sand. Miles of it swept up in dunes, looking like artsy photographs of the Sahara or something.

"That's not good, is it?" she asked anyway.

"For sightseeing, no," the Doctor agreed, his mood seeming to have perked up at getting at least one thing working again. "Sadly it's also no help in determining where we are. Do you see the blue square in the upper-right-... uh, in one of the corners?"

With her head tilted severely to the right to compensate for the screen's orientation, he walked her through a series of menus and screens, few of which made much sense to her, no matter how much the TARDIS automatically translated. She was able to read off enough symbols to convey the basic meaning though, even as she saw the Doctor wince at her choice of descriptions for some of the odder shapes. He also muttered something about getting a proper ladder in the next chance he got.

"So," she finally said, when his head remained buried in a control panel and no translation seemed to be coming. She was also trying to ignore the feel of Jack's strong fingers wrapped around her lower legs. "Future or past? What planet? And what's wrong?"

"Rose, time really is relative, you know—" the Doctor began before Jack cut him off.

"134.28apple-x4 would work out to about thirty-eight-hundred years before your time, Rose." Jack looked over to the Doctor for verification, and received a small grunt in response. "Caasi Arual isn't all that far away from Earth, though. That sun out there should be Sirius — well, both of them actually. But we're in a wide enough orbit here that humans can survive. There are a quite a few colonies out this way as I recall."

Rose found herself pondering the great stretches of sand dubiously, before realizing what he'd said. "But if it's 3800 years in the past — _Earth_'s past," she ignored the rude noise from behind the console, "Then how can there be humans here? Nobody had space travel on Earth that long ago, did they?"

"Well, you don't think all those stories about aliens landing on Earth and kidnapping people away in the night for experiments started with your century...?" Jack trailed off at the look of horror on her face, and he let his ever-so-serious mask slide a bit.

"Oi! You're just winding me up!" Rose knocked him on the side of his head with her trainer.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" Jack protested, shifting under her far more than seemed necessary. "No abusing your ladder!"

"Time travel, Rose." She turned to see the Doctor watching them with an unreadable expression on his face. "As soon as you lot first started working out how to do it, time became the next frontier. Place is a little crowded? Don't like your neighbors? Just get up enough like-minded people and move back to a time and place where you can have a whole world to yourself." He turned back to the handful of wires he was messing with. "Of course you brought all your problems along with you, plus making a right mess of time in the process. Messing with ecosystems thousands of years before they'd fully developed, or just still being around when the local species decided to try evolving themselves." His attention on the wires, he was blindly gesturing with the sonic screwdriver in one hand as he got going. "Took a right lot of work to sort out, that did. And then there were the endless ethical debates. But we got it all sorted out in the end...."

Rose looked over as his sudden silence fell like a lead weight. The Doctor was staring straight ahead, but he wasn't focused on the panel in front of him anymore. His face could have been carved from stone. Neither she nor Jack moved.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and carried on, his voice a little less casual, a little less steady. "Well that's what we did, you see. Time Lords. And eventually there were only a few out-of-the-way places like Caasi Arual, where there was no evidence the newcomers were disturbing anything that was going to happen anyway."

He stepped back from the console then. "Like I said, Rose, time is relative. This planet was colonized 3800 years before you were born by people from a good thousand years in your own future." He smiled at her then. "Now I need you to help me run some diagnostics before poor Captain Jack there collapses under your weight."

Dismissing the automatic protests from both of them, he walked her through what seemed like an endless number of screens. She dutifully relayed back colors and shapes and the general direction of a whole lot of squiggly lines, while the Doctor moved from section to section of the under-floor-that-was-now-wall in response.

Finally his face took on a distinctly worried look and he passed her the screwdriver so that she could access a portion of the flooring he couldn't reach himself. She quickly found the crystal he wanted, but her description of it brought a dark look to his face.

"Red? Are you sure?"

"Red," she confirmed pointing the light from the screwdriver directly at it. "Cardinal, crimson, scarlet, garnet, ruby." If nothing else, working in a clothing shop you learned endless names for the same colours. She frowned, shifting the light again. "Dark red. Wine, maybe. Burgundy, maroon. You could even call it a really dark mauve if you squint—" She broke off then, looking down at the Doctor. "That's bad isn't it?"

He sighed. "Unless one of the words you come up with is 'clear', or even 'yellowish', it's definitely bad."

"Do you want me to try to get it?" She wasn't sure it she could work it free, but she was willing to try.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I know what it is." He held out his hand. "Drop me the screwdriver and get down from there then."

-+-+-+-

Jack and the Doctor argued in low tones over possible ways to fix the ship. When she heard "Well, it doesn't look like we have a choice, unless this whole time you've been hiding a bloody huge diamond up your arse!", Rose decided to take a look outside. Opening the lower door resulted in a kind of ramp she could crawl over, while the upper half swung over her like a cat flap. It wasn't the most dignified exit she'd ever made, but it worked, and within moments she was standing on sand. Looking at sand. Squinting her eyes against the glare and wiping sand out of the corners of her mouth when the wind kicked up a bit. It wasn't much, but at least it was different from the TARDIS, which for the first time had actually started to feel a bit closed in.

Of course, the sun was going to be turning _her_ cardinal, scarlet, and crimson pretty soon, so she needed a bit of shade. Since the sun was right in her face, the far side of the TARDIS — which certainly looked like it was tipped over on its side to her — should do. Moving through deep, loose sand took more concentration and looking at your feet then she had realized. So it was only as she flopped down in the tiny patch of shade, leaned back against the familiar painted wood, and looked up that she saw it.

Within moments she was crawling back inside the cat flap again. "It's not sand!" she announced, only then realizing how out of breath she was and feeling the dryness in her throat. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the light level so she could see the Doctor and Jack looking at her in disbelief, long enough for her to realize what she'd said. "It's not _all_ sand. Come look!"

They followed her out, faces lighting up just like hers when they looked past the TARDIS towards patchy scrub, building to actual trees and plants as the landscape ran up against a large rocky mountain.

"Her sensors were stuck in just the one direction," the Doctor said, patting his listing ship affectionately. "Fantastic!"

Rose shaded her eyes with her hands. "Is it?" It certainly wasn't as bleak as it had looked before, but she wasn't sure she'd go that far. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack looking slightly dubious himself.

"Yes, it is. It's bloody marvelous!" That face-splitting grin was definitely infectious, even if she didn't know why it was on his face. "I thought we were stranded somewhere out in the middle of the Northern Desert. Covers more then three-quarters of the largest continent on Caasi Arual. Nothing but sand for thousands on thousands of miles, but here we are, right at the edge!" He pointed ahead. "Because of that raging great mountain there, all the traders and travelers have to pass through this little strip right here on their way to the sea. And if we can get to the sea—"

"—we can find someone with a workable crystal!" Jack finished for him.

To Rose's surprise, the Doctor just responded with an arm over Jack's shoulder, the grin never dimming. In fact it practically sparkled when he turned Jack slightly to the left and stretched out his arm. "And I believe we have a caravan approaching in the distance."

Having slung his arm around the Doctor in return, Jack squeezed. Rose frowned and tried to tell herself that that little stab she felt wasn't jealousy. After all, the Doctor would hug anyone, right? And Jack himself probably took that policy even more to heart. It wasn't even a proper hug or anything, just two mates celebrating.

Besides, she couldn't figure out who she was actually jealous of.

She wanted the Doctor, had almost from the start. And there'd been a connection, a definite one. He hadn't made any move, but then neither had she — too worried about not only mucking up whatever it was that they had, but also her ticket to see the universe. He'd seemed taken with Jabe the tree, but that obviously hadn't had a chance to go anywhere. She'd had hope when, even after Mickey had helped save the world, the Doctor still refused to let him on board. She wouldn't mind him being a little jealous. But then he'd seemed to have no problem with helping her look so impressive showing Adam around Satellite Five.

Then again, Adam wasn't really all that worth impressing, and the Doctor had probably sussed that out long before she had. Which would have put paid to any chance she had of making him jealous there. But for all that, she'd started to figure — for all the obvious pull between them — that the Doctor's fascination with humans sadly just didn't extend to shagging them.

And then Jack had shown up. Champagne and dancing on an invisible spaceship in the middle of the Blitz with a gorgeous bloke. Now who could resist that? He'd been on the pull, of course — she'd certainly had enough blokes try to get into her knickers to see that right off. But she hadn't exactly been adverse to the idea, only distracted when the subject had changed to the con he was trying to sell.

And the Doctor had not been pleased at all. For all his cock-up with the nanogenes had been a disaster, Jack clearly hadn't meant it that way. And he'd been willing to die to repair the damage he'd done. As if the Doctor's own plan with the Gelth hadn't gone all pear-shaped itself, just to start with. Not to mention the whole mess with her father—

But the Doctor hadn't been happy with Jack making moves on her at all. It figured: She finally finds a bloke who might really be worth the effort, and the Doctor chooses that moment to go all territorial with her. There'd been no mistaking his jealousy when he'd practically pulled her out of Jack's arms rather than let them dance.

Or had it been? By morning he was happily back to being just mates again. Did he see her as some kid, as if Jack were too smooth and sophisticated for her? Or—

Ever since he'd laughed at her surprise and explained Jack's 'flexible' approach to 'dancing', the thought had been hiding in the back of her mind. Now it had popped right to the front. Maybe it wasn't that the Doctor didn't fancy humans, just that he didn't fancy _girls_? She watched the Doctor pat Jack on the back before heading back around to the door. They'd apparently come to an understanding sometime after she'd fallen into bed, completely knackered, that night. Should she be jealous? After all, she'd seen many things weirder in the past few months than a queer Time Lord.

Now the thought wouldn't go away as she followed behind them. They certainly hadn't done anything obvious, except in the way Jack had happily flirted with them both. It might make some of the Doctor's sudden mood swings make sense....

Meanwhile it was going to drive her barking mad.

-+-+-+-

It took more climbing than was usually necessary, but they managed to get to the wardrobe without incident. Having a better idea of what he was looking for, the Doctor turned up an outfit for Jack — breezy loose white trousers and a matching tunic, very _Lawrence of Arabia_ — and even, to her amazement, a white jumper for himself.

When he turned around to find her looking at him expectantly, he had what she privately referred to as his "I'm in charge here!" face on, and Rose knew she wasn't going to like what he said next.

"Rose, you stay in the TARDIS. There's plenty of food, flicks to watch. Everything should still function all right. We'll be back before you know it, and you'll be perfectly safe here."

She stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown an extra head. "Oi!" She was gratified to see him wince at her tone. "Since when do I get left behind because things aren't perfectly safe?"

"That's not what I meant, Rose—"

"What about Jack? You don't seem to have any trouble taking your new best mate out with you when there's danger!" That hadn't come out quite the way she meant it, and if that was a smirk on Jack's face she was going to slap it right off!

"As I remember," Jack broke in, obviously trying to head off an all-out fight, "The attitude towards women around here tends to be the 'sit down and shut up' philosophy."

Rose glared at him for a moment. "So dress me up like a bloke."

Now it was Jack's turn to look disbelieving. "In _this_ get up?" he asked, waving the flimsy fabric of his outfit. "No one would ever buy it, Rose."

That was sort of flattering, actually. And, much as she hated to admit it, he was probably right. But if—

"And the penalty for a woman trying to pass as a man around here?" The Doctor's voice was deadly serious. "She'd be put to death on the spot."

Rose felt herself blanch a bit at that. O.K., no cross-dressing then. "So why can't I go as a woman? Or don't they have women here?" she demanded, refusing to back down.

"Because you'll have to behave like a proper submissive little bint and you won't have any fun."

He was probably right, she'd be better off lounging about in the TARDIS until they returned. But she wasn't going to let the Doctor just swan off without her, especially not with 'flexible' Jack Harkness in tow.

"I mean it, Rose. They could beat you or worse if you misbehave, and outnumbered like that, there might be sod all Jack or I could do about it."

He really looked worried for her safety, which gave her a lovely warm feeling inside, and she almost gave in. But no. "I'll behave, I promise." She caught his eyes long enough to make it clear she was serious. "Besides, just because I can't do anything on this planet doesn't mean I can't at least get a look at it!"

When the Doctor finally relented and pulled out what seemed like miles of dingy brown cloth from the wardrobe, she realized she might not even be able to do that.

"You are not serious!"

The Doctor just raised an eye in challenge.

She took the dress.


	2. Chapter 2

Dress? Sack, more like, she groused to herself. Silently. ("Never speak unless you're spoken to and even then don't say one more word than you have to.") Which is how she found herself following along behind Jack and the Doctor ("Always stay a few steps behind") in what amounted to a shapeless bag that covered her whole body ("Don't let any skin show past your wrists"), and even came with a veil to cover her face ("Keep your eyes lowered at all times").

As if anyone would be able to tell under all this, Rose fumed as she tried to pick her way over the uneven ground without falling flat on her face. ("Just remember, Rose. Any man here will happily punish you if he thinks you're getting out of line. If you feel like a small child on her very, _very_ best manners, you're probably doing it right. Watch the other women. And don't even think about staging any kind of revolution. You could get us all killed, and besides, we need these people if we're to have any hope of getting the TARDIS fixed so we can leave.")

She reckoned most of that was overkill, the Doctor just being paranoid about how 'jeopardy friendly' she could be. At least she hoped so.

Then they actually reached the caravan. The ground had leveled out enough by that point that she was able to peer out at her surroundings and not just at her feet. She saw a few shapeless figures in brown sacks like hers being herded to the middle of the group with careless shoves, like so many nervous sheep, while the men pushed past them to the front, nasty looking swords of some kind in hand.

"Brothers, we come to you with open hands," the Doctor announced loudly as soon as they were close enough, matching actions to words as Jack did the same. "We are two alone" — apparently she didn't even figure in the headcount then — "and wish only to travel alongside you, having already been set upon by thieves." She figured that was as good an explanation as any for why they were out here in the middle of nowhere alone. Luckily the shape of the dunes made the distant TARDIS look like just one more shadow.

"So, if you have nothing left, why should we share with you?" the leader asked reasonably. It figured that charity and common decency weren't a big thing with these people.

"We have great riches waiting for us in Zara, by the sea. If you could see us safely there, we would be glad to see you amply rewarded," Jack offered with his most charming smile.

Rose's heart caught in her throat for a moment as the leader seemed to consider this. With a pointed look between the seven or eight well armed men at his back, and Jack and the Doctor standing empty handed in front of him, he shrugged. "Very well, we have enough to spare. You will be our guests."

-+-+-+-

Rose found herself tromping along with the other women while the Doctor rode on a dodgy-looking horse next to the leader up front. Jack walked with the other men who formed a protective line down each side of the caravan. He stood a bit apart, but carefully stationed himself by the women, on Rose's side. As glad as she was to have him close at hand, it probably said something that the unarmed stranger was allowed to help guard the women. They clearly weren't the most valuable property on this journey.

After a good twenty minutes she was itching to start up a conversation, any conversation, but she wasn't sure if the 'speak when you're spoken to' rule applied to other women as well. Fortunately, just as she was about to chance it anyway, the brown shape on her left leaned in a bit. "So, you are his wife?" the whisper was accompanied by a gesture towards where the Doctor was apparently having an in-depth discussion with the leader, whose name she hadn't even been told.

"No!" she whispered back, doing her best not to laugh at the thought. As much as she fancied him and would like to see them become something more, she just couldn't see the Doctor as the marrying type. The image of him sitting still long enough to actually participate in the kind of white-lace-and-tuxedo church wedding they'd just recently visited seemed more than faintly ridiculous.

"Oh, the other one then," the woman whispered back knowingly — and was that jealousy she heard? — tilting her head at Jack. Taking his cue from the other men, he was completely ignoring the women's conversation. However the smirk that lurked just behind his bored look let Rose know he was listening to every word.

"No," Rose said, with as much as a sneer as she could manage. Not that Jack's subtly smug expression faltered in the slightest. "I'm not married to anyone."

The woman's hissed gasp relayed shock just as clearly as seeing her face could have. Rose also didn't miss the quick half-step that the woman backed away, as if she thought Rose might be contagious. "But you don't show your face like a free woman!" It sounded like an accusation.

Rose was amazed these people had ever even heard of a 'free woman', but if it meant she could get rid of the stupid veil she was all for declaring herself one right off. Hand half-way to her face she reconsidered. The idea clearly hadn't pleased the other woman — probably afraid Rose would try to pinch her bloke — and so she decided not to push it. Better safe than sorry, and all that. No need to be pissing off the only people it seemed she could talk to on this trip.

Meanwhile, the first woman had apparently been relaying their conversation to the woman next to her, who also made an audible gasp of astonishment and moved closer, peering, as if to see the fabled 'free woman'. "Maybe she's new to it?" even the women's whispers carried surprisingly far in the desert silence.

"New to it?" the first woman asked in clear disbelief.

"Maybe her husband was killed by the bandits and neither of the others would take her," the second woman offered sympathetically. "Or maybe after the bandits had their way, her husband dismissed her?"

Rose choked slightly.

"Well it hardly matters. If she's not married she's a free woman now."

"You should be kinder to her," the second woman chided. "It could happen to any of us."

"Not to me!" The first woman's voice was definitely louder than a whisper now, and at a curious glance from one of the men she dropped it quickly. "I'm a good wife, I please my husband, cause no trouble, and would die before I let anyone have their way with me. If my husband died, any man here would take me in!"

The second woman just shook her head and gave up. But she joined the other women in keeping a distinct distance from Rose. Being a 'free woman' around here didn't sound like such a good thing anymore. She chanced a look at Jack, but his face was expressionless. Great. She'd just better not end up married to one of the locals before the trip was over.

-+-+-+-

The women studiously ignored her from that point on, which left Rose to concentrate on not tripping over anything, how hot it could get inside of one of these sack 'dresses', how much her legs were aching from the endless march, and how very much she was wishing she'd stayed in the comfort of the nice, cool TARDIS after all.

Not that she'd admit that last one to the Doctor.

Finally, as it began to get darker, the leader raised his hand and the whole little parade stopped. Rose almost fell again, her legs being so used to walking on automatic that it took them a minute to remember how to be still. The other men and women swung into action, setting up small tents and cook fires with the ease of long practice. Rose stood next to Jack, unsure if she was supposed to be helping (and really hoping she wouldn't have to), when one of the larger men swaggered up to them.

"My wife says this one's a free woman," he announced to Jack, looking like he was trying to size her up under all that fabric. "Let's get a look at her face before I decide whether she's worth having some fun with tonight."

Rose's stomach clenched as the penny dropped. 'Free', as in 'free for the taking'. By saying she wasn't married, she'd told the women she was a _slag_. The Doctor would have his sonic screwdriver on him at least, but he was still up ahead speaking to the leader. All she could see was the wicked looking dagger on this bloke's hip, shining in the firelight.

"Women's gossip," Jack said dismissively from behind her, making her jump.

The man frowned, clearly disappointed and looking ready to argue. "They say she's not married." He nodded back towards where the women had gathered in a huddle to watch.

Jack put a hand firmly on her shoulder. "She lies," he announced in apparent disgust. Before she could realize what he was doing Jack had raised his hand and slapped her across the face. At the same time his hand on her other shoulder shoved back and down, making her recoil far more than the blow actually merited, especially given the fabric padding her.

Rose decided she could really learn to appreciate the talents acquired by a con-man.

Jack had obviously been taking notes earlier as well. "Her husband was killed by the robbers, so I took her in. She's my wife." The hand on her shoulder moved to the back of her neck, reminding her with a push to keep her head bowed submissively. Given the apparent alternative, Rose had no problem with that.

The bloke who'd approached her was clearly disappointed, but backed right off. "Stupid women," he spat, looking over his shoulder to where the huddle had already melted away to their separate tasks. "You should teach yours better manners!"

"Believe me, I will," Jack agreed in a warning tone that would have had her protesting automatically only a few minutes ago.

As the man left, Jack turned without a word and followed him towards where the men seemed to be assembling. Rose fell into step just a bit behind him, unsure what she should be doing, but unwilling to risk being caught alone around here. The Doctor was looking back by now, concerned, but he smiled as he saw them approaching.

The man who'd confronted them walked right up to the leader and spoke a few words. The result being the leader actually looked at her just long enough to glare and spit on the ground. Gossip of a 'free woman' in the camp must have traveled fast. Rose shuddered.

As they reached the group, the leader spoke again in a booming voice. "Well, Doctor. It seems your friend there has a new wife seriously in need of training, so I suggest we let him get on with it. But you must join us at the fire and entertain us with tales of your travels!"

Rose had seen that shell-shocked look on the Doctor's face before, and hated seeing it aimed at her. She wanted to explain, but knew better than to say anything. The damned veil meant she couldn't even meet his eyes. He looked to Jack for a moment, then turned his back, tension evident in every line, and followed the leader to the evening's main campfire without a word.

One of the women, Rose couldn't even tell which one, lead Jack to a tent on the edge of camp. Rose dutifully followed, tears welling in her eyes under her veil.

Once inside the tent, Jack made sure the flap was securely closed, then collapsed down next to her in the near dark. He hardly had a choice, as there was no room to actually stand upright. "Rose, are you all right?" he asked, reaching for her veil.

She flinched at the movement; She couldn't help it. And when she saw the hurt look that brought to Jack's face, the tears wouldn't be held back anymore.

"Rose, I had to, or they would never have believed me. I'm so sorry."

She just shook her head, unable to come up with words. Suddenly the enveloping folds of her outfit were too much; She was smothering. Clawing at them, she didn't stop until the brown cloth was piled on the floor, flung to the far side of the tent. Rose felt suddenly naked in her sleeveless top and shorts, but she didn't care and practically climbed into Jack's lap, tears running down her face.

He held her tight, stroking her shoulder and murmuring soothing words until she stopped sobbing. Suddenly aware of where she was, she awkwardly drew back to her side of the tent again, her face red with slightly more than crying. She tried to wipe her face on the back of her hands, and was grateful the moonlight coming through the tent walls wasn't brighter.

When Jack smiled and held out a handkerchief, she started giggling. "You brought a _handkerchief_?" she asked, gesturing vaguely at his simple outfit before accepting it.

"You never know, they tend to come in handy," he said. His smile wavered a moment as he reached for her face. "I didn't get you too hard, did I?" he asked, trying to angle her face to see it better.

She blew her nose and shook her head. "No, I barely felt it. Bet it looked pretty impressive though. Nice trick."

"I try."

She smiled. "O.K., so as long as we say we're married, I'm safe, right?"

"Yeah, you should be. I can't believe we didn't plan for this."

"Well, as impressive as you both like to think you are, you can't think of everything." Rose tried to shrug it off. "Thanks for the rescue, though. You think everyone will believe it?"

Jack actually looked embarrassed at that. "Well, I don't think there's actually anything to believe. I'm pretty sure by their laws we _are_ married now."

"_What?_"

He sighed and leaned back. "I said you were my wife and nobody argued it. I think that's all it takes around here."

"No ceremony?"

"That was the ceremony."

"You didn't even have to ask me?" Rose protested, but knew as she said it that it made perfect sense. After all, who asked a sheep if it wanted to be sold? "How soon until we can get off this bloody planet?"

"Now, don't slander the whole planet. On the eastern continent there are some lovely countries with much more relaxed societies. You'd probably like it over there. I visited a city there once, Roue, where they were _much_ more relaxed...."

Rose swatted him. "Hey! You're married now! Behave yourself!"

"So was the guy who tried to come on to you," Jack reminded her with a smirk. "Somehow I don't think that's a problem here."

"Men are pigs!"

Jack laughed. "Not all of us! I bet you don't think the Doctor's a pig."

Rose's face fell. She hadn't wanted to think about him. Or about the last look she'd seen on his face.

"Hey, now. Don't worry about him," Jack offered soothingly. "He understands."

She just looked at him for a moment.

"Well, he will understand once he thinks about it." Another moment of silence. "I'll be sure to explain it all to him tomorrow, o.k.?"

"It's not like it matters anyway." Rose knew she was coming dangerously close to pouting, and she didn't care.

"What, as if a blind person couldn't see you're in love with him?" She refused to meet his eyes, fiddling absently with the hem of the blanket she was sitting on.

"He's in love with you too, you know."

She couldn't help it, she glanced up for a moment, wanting it to be true. Jack grinned in response and she ducked her head again, giving a little snort of disbelief — whether at herself or at Jack she wasn't sure.

"You couldn't tell by me," Rose sulked. Her head came up suddenly. "And just what are you doing with me alone in a tent, all 'married' even, and talking about the Doctor?" Jack looked startled by her outburst. "That's it, isn't it. You don't fancy me at all, you fancy _him_. And he fancies you right back and I'm the third wheel here!"

"Rose—"

"He probably wasn't even upset _I'd_ gone and gotten myself married, he just wants _you_ all to himself!"

Rose's outrage was silenced by the feel of Jack's lips on hers, warm and soft, and all she could think as his tongue slid inside her mouth was that maybe Jack _was_ just as impressive as he said he was....

By the time he pulled back she was panting and must have looked a sight. He kept one hand under her chin and she made no move to pull away.

"Trust me, Rose," he said seriously. "I want you more every day I know you. But I like my key body parts just the way they are, and I'm not going to risk having them forcibly rearranged by a certain angry Time Lord."

That brought Rose out of her daze. "He doesn't own me, you know. Won't even make a move himself—"

"I know that, and if I thought you felt for me anything like what you feel for him, I'd be happy to take my chances." His hand moved to forestall her protest. "But you don't," he said easily. "At least not yet." And the knowing little smirk was back.

"And yes, the Doctor certainly has his appeal, and I might be able to bring him around someday, but not until this thing with you two is settled." He looked at her for a moment, clearly piecing things together. "Is _that_ why you insisted on coming on this trip? To save the Doctor from my evil wiles?"

He was laughing, and Rose felt obliged to swat him again. "Back in London he explained about you being all 'flexible' when it comes to 'dancing', and he hasn't made a move on me in months, but after just a few days you two are all best mates, and...." She trailed off, realizing how ridiculously jealous it all sounded.

"And you were worried I'd snap him up while you weren't around." Jack was still laughing, but it had settled into more of an indulgent chuckle. "You two really are a pair, aren't you?" Rose scowled, but it didn't seem to phase him. "I don't suppose a liberated twenty-first century woman such as yourself ever thought to make a move on _him_?"

She blushed. "I wasn't sure if he... I mean he's an alien you know. And sometimes it seemed like he wanted... but then other times he didn't. And if I was completely out of line he might make me leave."

Her face had to be as stricken as her voice, because Jack stopped even smirking at her. "Trust me, Rose." And rather belatedly she realized that she really did. "I don't know all that's going on in that Time Lord brain of his, but if he turns you down, it won't be for lack of interest. And I don't think he'll kick you off the TARDIS for trying."

She sighed. "Really?"

"Really. Now lie down and get some sleep. They'll probably start early so they can make Zara tomorrow."

Rose nodded and lay down, rolling towards the tent wall.

"And don't worry," he said as he laid down beside her. "I do know how to be a gentleman."

She snickered. "Don't go straining anything on my account."

He groaned and she could feel him roll over in the other direction. "You two really are going to be the death of me."

Rose lay there for a moment. She felt free: Free of the danger, free of the uncertainty, free of the fear. Free of that damned robe she'd sweated in all day.

She listened to the muted sounds of the camp, of loud laughter from the campfire, and smiled. Just before her eyes closed, she jerked awake again, half sitting up. "What did you mean 'not yet'? Because I'm not some slag like they said. I don't cheat!"

"And I'd never ask you to, Rose." The tone was sleepy but amused. "But no one ever said you could only be flexible in pairs."

"Oh." It came out as an inarticulate huff of breath as she flopped back down on her side. Actually, people had said it. In fact, where she was from, pretty much everyone said just that. But she wasn't on Earth. She wasn't in the twenty-first century any more. Maybe her dilemma wasn't such a problem. Did that make her a slapper after all? It wasn't as if she'd just do anyone. The thoughts spun around in her head as she lay there.

It was a long time before she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack woke her up practically at dawn, making fun of her when she groaned and tried to pull the blanket over her head to cut out the light.

"Now, now. What kind of husband would I be if I let my lazy wife lie about in bed all day, hmmm?"

Rose really wished she had a pillow to chuck at his head.

Stumbling out of the tent, once more covered head to toe in that awful brown sack, she realized she _hurt_. Her legs were wobbly, protesting painfully at having walked so far the day before, and she'd developed quite the colorful bruise on one hip from where she'd hit the TARDIS' ceiling. She took a few hesitant steps, trying to get back the hang of walking half blind, before she managed to look up.

Right into the Doctor's face.

His expression was hard, impassive, and she stumbled back a step in sheer surprise.

He'd turned on his heel and walked away before she could forget herself and say something. Before she realized how she must look coming out of Jack's tent like this....

Bugger it! He was already several yards away and there was no chance she'd catch up in this sodding outfit. She didn't see Jack, but she had to hope he'd find a chance to speak with the Doctor soon.

The caravan quickly packed up and everyone took the same positions they'd had the day before, down to the women keeping a clear distance from her. She expected they were angry because of her supposed lies, but she didn't much care. The Doctor was riding up front again, his posture subdued and looking like he was only speaking to answer direct questions.

She was pretty sure Jack hadn't caught up with him. She turned, chancing a look at Jack where he was walking to one side again. He didn't acknowledge her, and his gaze stayed fixed directly ahead of them as he gave a tiny shrug and grimace.

Great, the Doctor had probably avoided him, locked up in that brooding, moody place he spent too much time in as it was. She kicked a stone out of her way, earning a surprised look from the woman closest to her. She couldn't wait to get out of this damned place.

-+-+-+-

Finally, late in the day, they made it to Zara, a place with at least a little life to it. Brown-covered women perched on the high walls of houses, clearly chatting and laughing with each other. Canopies in bright colors flapped in the breeze over row after row of tables in the marketplace. Rose was heartened by the sight of a woman — wearing a practical shirt and trousers — working on one of the boats in the harbor. She was clearly a foreigner here and probably knew better than to step foot on land, but it made Rose feel like she'd found a spot of normalcy again.

After a few quick words, the rest of the caravan was sent on to wherever they were going, while the leader and the man who'd so charmingly failed to introduce himself to her last night herded the Doctor and Jack (and, by extension, her) to the marketplace. Their first stop was at some sort of jeweler's table, where the Doctor produced a thin strip of something that looked like bluish gold from his back pocket. The leader's eyes went wide and then narrowed in anger. Rose couldn't help feeling that they'd have been murdered and robbed in their beds if he'd known what the Doctor was carrying around.

An argument immediately broke out. From what she could follow, it seemed the Doctor had promised the leader only a part of that amount for their trip. The leader, on the other hand, was accusing them of being lying thieves themselves. It was settled fairly quickly when the Doctor reluctantly agreed to hand over the whole amount. The leader cursed, but waved to his henchman and they took off down one of the narrow streets without looking back.

It belatedly occurred to Rose that they hadn't been 'guests', they'd been hostages for the money they'd promised him. She shuddered.

Once they'd stepped away from the hustle of the market and into the shadow of a wall to regroup, Rose couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "Oi! If you'd just stand still and listen to us for one moment—"

"I told you to keep quiet, Rose!"

"Don't you—" but she was forced to break off when she noticed the stares she'd already attracted from passers-by. With a groan she glared at Jack through her veil before venting the rest of her anger on a tiny bit of grass trying to grow through the cracked dirt at her feet.

"Look, Doctor, what she's trying to tell you—" Jack stopped when he found himself on the receiving end of a glower that put paid to anything Rose had seen. She couldn't blame Jack, she'd never seen a look on the Doctor's face that actually frightened her before.

The subject was clearly not up for discussion. Jack sighed in acknowledgment, then asked quietly, "How much more of that stuff do you have on you?"

"That was it."

Jack's eyes widened. "Then just how are you planning to get the crystal we need, much less a place to sleep tonight?"

"I don't plan to spend the night. And I wasn't lying, I do have a rather impressive amount of credit with a banker here. He just probably won't recognize me after all this time." That brought an odd expression to his eyes, but it was gone before Rose could even begin to decipher it. "What I need now is to find him and show him my handy letter of credit," he pulled out the psychic paper, "and we'll be in all the funds we need. Meanwhile," he turned to Jack, "you two go and find us a workable crystal. Meet back here in an hour or so." He was already moving away from them. "And try to get it at a decent price," he tossed back over his shoulder. And then he was gone into the mass of people.

Jack looked insulted for a moment, as well he might, she thought. But he shrugged it off. Given the noise level around them, Rose didn't even try to muffle her curse this time.

"Chuffing stubborn pillock!"

Jack laughed at her. "See? it must be love!"

-+-+-+-

Rose followed dutifully after Jack as he made the rounds of the jeweler's tables. At every one he spun a different story about why he needed to see the largest clear stone they had. After a few times she realized he was doing it for her amusement, and she couldn't help but smile. Watching the master at work _was_ quite the treat.

Probably an hour later they were back at the wall, having finally located an acceptable stone the size of her fist in one jeweler's back stock. The man was clearly baffled at Jack's interest, repeatedly offering to custom cut the somewhat yellowish rock to any shape Jack liked, obviously looking for a better price than he could get for the uncut stone. But Jack refused all offers, making it clear he would only buy the stone as-is and without a mark on it, claiming some foreign religious restriction or something. By the time they left she knew he had wrangled the lowest price that would keep the jewel intact and waiting for them when they returned.

Some time later the Doctor showed up with sufficient funds and a return trip already arranged with another caravan leaving that afternoon. He handed Jack the money, indicated which gate they were leaving from, and told him to hurry, as the caravan was already starting out. That let Rose out of the return trip to the jewelers, as she could hardly 'hurry' anywhere. To her extreme annoyance the Doctor then promptly headed off towards the gate he'd indicated without a word to her, and proceeded to walk just fast enough that she couldn't reach him.

Minutes later, puffing like a steam engine from both exertion and anger, Rose finally caught up with him. Right in front of their new travel companions.

She might love him, but once they were safely back to the TARDIS, she was going to kill him.

He wasn't joking about the caravan leaving, though. The men in the lead looked irritated at the delay already, and Rose suspected the Doctor had had to bribe them pretty well to wait as long as they did. At least, as pissed off as he might be, he'd apparently had the decency to spring for horses all around this time. Her tired legs ached as she used a low wall to climb awkwardly into the saddle — of course no one moved to help her — but she was still grateful.

Then the Doctor handed the reins of the last horse to one of the gatekeepers with a quick description of Jack and a handful of coins and they were off. The horses settled into a brisk walk, which was about as much as Rose could handle her first time trying to ride one. As it was, her sack was bunched awkwardly under her and twisted so that her veil was somewhere over her left ear for the first ten minutes or so. She just hoped her legs weren't showing; God knows what crisis that would cause.

She kept adjusting her seat and her stupid sack dress, to the not-very-muffled amusement of the nearest men. Once she'd gotten herself mostly settled — at least she could see again, if mostly just out of one eye — she started listening for Jack. There were no other women on this trip, so she rode alone behind the men in charge and in front of the men guarding the wagon of whatever goods it was they were hauling.

She didn't really think the Doctor would leave Jack behind — if for no other reason than that he had the crystal that they needed to get the TARDIS upright and moving again. But she was still relieved to hear hoof beats behind them. The men turned to look behind warily, but Rose didn't dare do even that for fear she'd fall right off. Within moments Jack was riding by — and how was it that he looked _that_ dead sexy at everything she'd ever seen him do? — up to the front of the line.

A few quick words with the Doctor, and Jack dropped back behind the front party to ride parallel to her. He didn't look at her, she couldn't say anything, and he clearly hadn't had a chance to talk to the Doctor yet, but it made her feel better to know that at least one of the men in her life wasn't a raging big brooding git.

Of course one of the men ahead took that moment to make some comment not-so-under-his-breath about Jack clearly being besotted with her.

All three of them pretended not to hear that one.

-+-+-+-

Having left so late in the day, it was only a few hours before they stopped to make camp. Rose slid off her horse... and straight to the ground in such an ungainly heap she even had to forgive Jack for cracking a smile. He didn't help her up though.

Yeah, yeah, public touching, even through miles of sackcloth was probably off limits. However at least it did mean that the men, clearly used to shifting for themselves anyway, didn't try to make her set up the camp. This time Jack apparently managed to fend off any attempts to push them into the 'honeymoon tent', so she was able to sit — outside the main ring, of course — and listen to the stories and talk around the fire.

After a while Rose was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself. The stories sounded like any bunch of blokes out for a night at the pub — well, if the blokes were regularly carrying swords and traveling on horseback. She suspected just as many of the tales of sexual ('romantic' would be stretching the point) conquest were exaggerated in the teller's favor. They certainly didn't seem to feel the need to watch their language around her — if they even remembered she was there at all.

Jack had great stories to share, of course, and tailored them well to the mood and tastes of the group. After a while even the Doctor chimed in with a few choice comments, and a bit about the surprising things a well informed man could pay for in certain quarters. Jack glanced over casually at her every so often, when the little group's attention was squarely on someone else, and she appreciated that. The rest of them — including one stubborn Time Lord of her acquaintance — didn't even acknowledge her existence.

She was trying to remember just why she was in love with the big tosser, when the party broke up and most of the men headed off to sleep. The Doctor had relaxed a bit and was walking comfortably next to Jack, so she just fell in silently behind them. As they reached the tents, one of the men — the one who had made the 'besotted' comment, leered at Jack and pointed to a tent. "You can take that one with your wife. You," and here he turned towards the Doctor, "will have to share with me."

The Doctor had gone stone-faced again, but before he could say anything Jack laughed. "She's not _my_ wife," he proclaimed, rolling his eyes at the man and looking far more drunk than she suspected he actually was. "She's his!"


	4. Chapter 4

Rose tried to suppress a grin at the Doctor's gobsmacked expression, then realized no one could see her and let it out. Bless Jack, he'd avoided the impending second night of jealousy and guaranteed her time alone to talk with the Doctor at the same time.

Meanwhile the man was looking at Jack oddly, and then at the Doctor with what looked a lot like nervousness. Probably regretting that 'besotted' comment. "Is that right?" he asked in a surprised tone he probably wouldn't have used were he less sloshed. "She's _your_ wife?"

The Doctor hesitated for a moment, and Rose's heart sank. Was he going to say no? He had to know the consequences of that, didn't he? He'd never knowingly put her in that position, but if somehow he didn't know? If he were determined to be stubborn to the end about not talking to either of them—

He shook himself after a moment and muttered, "Of course. My wife. Yes." And gestured her into the tent ahead of him. But not before she saw him give Jack a distinctly unpleasant look.

"Well, Ney." She could hear Jack's voice from outside the tent. "It looks like I'll be bunking with you then."

She heard them move off, but was distracted by the sight of the Doctor stepping into the tent after her. When he paused, almost on the threshold, bent nearly double, she huffed and pushed past him to make sure the flap was secure. "Sit before you fall over," she instructed, loving the chance to say whatever came into her head for the first time in days. Without further preamble she struggled her way out of her sack, thinking that the only advantage the dingy piece of crap had was that it would probably never show dirt.

Flopping down to sit opposite the Doctor, she let herself indulge in a little stretching — not unaware of her audience. "God that feels good to get out of!" When she looked back up, the Doctor was clearly trying to pretend he was looking anywhere but at her. She hid her grin. "It's no use, you know, you're going to have to talk to me now."

He looked at her, a mutinous gleam in his eye, and said nothing.

"All right," she amended, "You're going to at least have to listen to me then." She paused for a moment and frowned slightly, not quite sure anymore how to begin what she wanted to say. "Jack had to say I was his wife or they would have spent all night passing me around to the troops. You have to have realized that. So why wouldn't you let us explain?"

He scowled at her. "Doesn't seem like there's much that needs explaining there."

Trust him to dodge the whole point. "Then why were you so upset with Jack?"

"He's a con artist and a thief. I don't trust him."

"Which is why you handed over a big pile of money to him without a second thought and fully expected him to return to you with a crystal instead of just taking off for parts unknown."

The Doctor looked startled for just a moment. This whole situation must have him seriously off his game, because she'd be willing to lay odds now that he hadn't even thought of that. But it was gone in a flash. "Well, he was hardly going to leave _you_."

She had to laugh at that. "And just how many cons do you think he's pulled off by pretending to romance some girl? It's not like he's in love with me." Although she rather suspected he might be getting there.

"I've seen the way he looks at you."

She took a breath — she might not have trusted her own instincts, but she trusted Jack's, and she trusted that she knew a fit of raging jealousy when she saw it — and jumped in. "So what? It's not like _you_ ever wanted me."

And again. How could one man manage so many variations on 'inscrutable'? She could tell that she'd struck a nerve though, because of the anger? frustration? embarrassment? fear? she could see buried behind those eyes.

"I don't like Jack trading you back and forth between us like it's some kind of game. Like you're some kind of game."

Which, of course, made no sense before five minutes ago, but Rose decided that she'd take what she could get. "Jack's not the one treating me like a game. _You_ are."

There. Shocked was good. Better than inscrutable anyway.

"I would never—"

"You do all the time! Have since almost the first day we met. First you're telling me I'm beautiful, then you're calling me a stupid ape. You practically set me up on a date with Adam, and then you're growling like a mad dog at Jack. I can't tell what you want from one minute to the next and it's driving me mad!"

"Rose, I didn't mean—"

"But you did!" Rose had had more than enough of silence and she had plenty of words saved up for him. "You're still doing it! I know what I want but I still can't tell with you. You're always hiding behind that cool expression, behind 'I'm the so impressive alien and you're the stupid little ape who can't possibly understand'—"

"You're not—"

"What?" She demanded. "A stupid ape? In love with a nine-hundred year old Time Lord who spends half the time pretending he can barely be bothered to have me around? Sounds pretty daft to me!"

She savored the wide-eyed expression on his face for a moment. Then she took matters into her own hands, literally, leaned forward, and kissed him. He only stayed frozen for a heart-stopping moment before he was kissing her back, desperately, hands tangling in her hair. She smiled then, around the kiss, and managed to twist her way a little closer to him, feeling his pulse racing under her hands.

And then he stopped and pushed her away, but he wouldn't look her in the eye. "We can't do this, Rose." His voice was back to sad, and probably heading towards broody.

Not if she could help it.

"Why the bloody hell not?"

He looked up then, startled.

"You can't tell me you don't fancy me, not after that kiss!" She could have sworn he was about to blush. She gestured vaguely at his lap. "What, are Time Lords not properly equipped?"

"Oi!"

"If it's the different species bit, well I don't mind and it's not like you have much of a choice at this point unless you plan to live like a monk forever." That wasn't the best of subjects, so she hurried on. "Or maybe you're married and forgot to tell me? Pining desperately after someone else? Again, you're not getting away with 'gay', not after that kiss. So is it the age gap? Because I've always had a thing for older blokes."

He was shaking his head, half smiling as he faced her onslaught. But his voice was deadly serious. "Nine hundred years is more than 'an age gap', Rose."

"Eight hundred and eighty-one," she corrected primly.

That got an eye roll. "I've been rounding for centuries, and you're completely avoiding the point."

"Which is?"

"That you're barely considered an adult even in your own species—"

"While you're really knocking on a bit, even for a Time Lord?"

"Am not!" He sighed. "Rose, I'm serious. I'm not just a nice bloke you met down at the corner pub. I've lived for centuries; probably live for centuries more, me."

"Not the way you go on." She smirked. "I've already saved your arse more than once, Mr. High And Mighty I'm-Going-To-Live-Forever."

But he wouldn't let her brush it off. "Rose, I've seen things — _done_ things — I hope you never even comprehend. I don't want to drag you down into that."

"So don't," she said just as seriously. "You haven't dragged me into any black holes of despair yet. We're good together; You know we are." She paused a moment to stare him down over that one. "And I may only be nineteen, but I _am_ an adult and I know what I want.

"I want _you_."

He wasn't agreeing, but he'd stopped arguing. And she thought she could see some spark of buried hope in those eyes.

"Besides," she said with her cheekiest grin, "You must have thought I was something special if you asked me to come with you. Twice."

"Rose...." He was clearly trying not to smile, and the way he trailed off sounded enough like an admission of defeat for her. So she responded by crawling into his lap, much like she'd done with Jack only the night before.

His arms came around her loosely, but it was as if he had read her mind. "What about Jack?"

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart— hearts?—beat. Distracted, and busy trying to use her ear as a stethoscope, she echoed him back absently. "What about Jack?"

"Binary vascular system." When she looked up in confusion, he clarified. "Two hearts. Very handy. And as for Jack, you _were_ married to him this morning, you know."

"Yeah, he told me." She smiled. "But if I'm understanding the general rules here, I think he just divorced me and you and I are married now."

"Rose...."

"Jack is a gorgeous, charming bloke and I defy anyone who meets him to not want to be seduced by him." She looked pointedly at the Doctor.

"What?" His 'innocent' look could definitely use some work. Rose mentally filed that one away for later consideration.

"But he can also be a perfect gentleman, as he demonstrated to me last night." She decided one searing kiss didn't really count, especially as he'd immediately thrown her back at the Doctor anyway. "He told me you were in love with me, and then he put me to bed."

The Doctor looked dubious. "You saw me leaving the tent, I know. But if you'd been thrown about a TARDIS all morning and then had to walk for miles instead of riding a fancy horse like _some_ people, you'd be pretty damn sore in the morning too."

He at least had the grace to look ashamed at that. Which, of course, meant she couldn't resist. "Besides, if you don't think he can control himself, shouldn't someone be out there rescuing poor Ney right about now?"

The Doctor looked horrified, and started struggling to get up. "He can't. They'd have him killed. They don't—"

Rose pushed him firmly back into place. "Trust me, Jack knows what he's doing. He's good at picking up customs; He'd have to be, in his line of work. Besides, he's the one who realized the danger I was in and how to fix it. He's not going to go putting the moves on some bloke with a sword unless he's sure."

She swatted him on the chest, getting a surprised 'oof' in response. "And before you start going all guilty on me, it's all sorted, right? We make a good team. All three of us. So don't be thinking you have to go and throw him off the TARDIS when we get back either."

"I'll consider it," the Doctor said, without any real heat.

"Just remember, he's the one who got us together."

"About that—"

"Give it a bash. And if it just doesn't work, then what's the harm?"

"Two broken hearts."

"And this," she gestured vaguely outside, encompassing everything that happened in the last two days, "is so much better?"

She pulled him into a kiss before he could argue further.

And this time he didn't pull away.

When he finally did pull back to let her breathe, Rose was panting and lightheaded. But after a deep breath she dove right in again, exploring his mouth with her tongue. He didn't taste alien, she decided... just like himself. She felt his hair soft against the skin of her palms and trailed one thumb down until she found a spot behind his ear that made him shiver. One of his hands was still tangled in her hair, but the other was sliding lightly up and down her arm, as if determined to touch every single inch of her skin.

The thought made her temperature rise. She slid a hand down his neck, only to run into the edge of that damned jumper.

"You're over dressed," she whispered, pulling at the hem. He quickly stopped just long enough in his explorations to strip the offending clothing over his head and toss it to the side. As he resumed kissing his way down her neck, Rose admired the view. She ran her hands slowly up his chest, from waist to shoulders, enjoying the moan he made when her hands brushed across his nipples.

"Your turn," he murmured, stripping off her top. His hands slid around to find the back of her bra... and it took her a few moments to realize he was fumbling with it.

"Been awhile?" she said with a grin, reaching back to unfasten it herself.

"Well if you bloody humans didn't insist on designing such impractical clothing—" He broke off as she tossed the bra away, his eyes focused her chest. "But no, I haven't done this in— well, in a good long time," he admitted.

She leaned up close to his ear, pressing her bare breasts against his chest, and whispered, "I'll be gentle."

"Cheeky!" he laughed, rolling her onto the floor of the tent. Then he sobered a bit. "But it shouldn't be like this, in some tent in the middle of nowhere."

He actually looked distressed, so she caught his head in her hands again and looked up into his eyes. "In a tent. In the TARDIS. Out somewhere naked under the stars. I don't care. I want to 'dance' with _you_."

That earned her another kiss, this one tender and sweet and somehow cherishing. His lips then moved down over her chin, down her neck and right between her breasts. He carefully traced a line down just between them with his tongue all the way to her waist while his hands slid slowly up her sides, just barely brushing the edges. She was trembling in frustration, wanting him to touch her.

"Come on...."

"What?"

She groaned. "Bastard..."

"Oh," he responded off-handedly. "This?" And he swooped in, enclosing her nipple in his warm mouth. She whimpered and arched up to meet him, planning pay-back at some later date for the smug smile on his face. And then he was sucking, his tongue coming forward to tease and play with the nipple. She was moaning and shifting under him by the time he came up for air.

And then he promptly started on the other side. By the time he'd finished with that one she was twisting and pushing up to meet him, hands mindlessly running up and down his back. But she wasn't going to let him have all the fun here. Shifting around until she'd managed to flip him over, she pulled off his shoes, then ran her hands slowly up the legs of his trousers until she reached the fastening. Undoing them she pulled down, the Doctor obediently helping her to pull them off. She took him carefully in her hand and heard him moan.

She was turning it to one side and the other, trying to get a better view in the moonlight that made its way inside the tent when he frowned. "What?"

"I don't know," she mused, "You're always on about being so alien. I thought it might be green or have scales or something."

His laugh was slightly strangled as she ran her hand up its length. "Well, I hope you're not disappointed then."

"No, no. _Very_ nice," she purred, giving it one more squeeze before she let go to move back up his body. "It makes sense, you looking so normal— _human_," she corrected before he could object, "otherwise." She kissed him, just a brush of lips. "I just want you to know, even if it was green _and_ scaly I'd still want you."

She couldn't tell if the dazed look he gave her was shocked or touched. "You're barmy."

"No," she replied, tapping him reprovingly on the nose, "I'm just in love."

"Oh, come here," he said, clutching her to his chest and rolling back over on top of her. "My turn now." He grinned.

"About time!" she teased. He just huffed in return before sliding his fingers under the waistband of her shorts, finding the edge of her knickers, and pulling them both off together.

"Oh, Rose," he breathed, looking her up and down so intently she felt self conscious.

"What? It's nothing all that special."

"No. You're beautiful," he corrected her, one hand caressing on her hip.

"For a human?" she asked, a little overwhelmed by the awe in his tone.

"No, just beautiful. Like a goddess"

She blushed then, unable to help it. "Oi, you don't have to sweet talk me after you've already gotten in my pants, you know." She pulled him down for another kiss before he could respond, and made sure it lasted until they were both panting and out of breath. Then she watched as he moved down her body, tracing her flesh lightly with his hands as he went. Gently he pushed her legs apart, then reached down to expose her most intimate flesh. He just looked for a long moment, but before she could say anything he'd leaned down and tasted her.

The loud groan that escaped her might have been embarrassing if she weren't distracted by turning into a single mass of sensation. The tent was barely long enough for one person to lie down, so he curled to the side, his tongue flicking sideways over her clit in a way she'd never felt before. He rested one arm across her hips, holding her still, as he explored every sensitive part of her, tracing each line and fold, dipping inside with a suddenness that made her gasp, and ultimately returning to that odd side-to-side rub against her clit.

The cry that came with her first orgasm could probably be heard by the whole camp. But it barely registered in her ears as her body convulsed endlessly, as though it were trying to turn itself inside out. He lapped gently at her then, coaxing her through every wave, then with almost no warning he started up again, sliding one finger ever so slowly inside her and making her breathlessly come all over again.

Oh God. She'd always thought her sex life was pretty good, but she'd never felt anything like this. She was still trembling, and wasn't sure she'd ever stop, when she reached down to pull at his shoulder, "Please?"

He seemed to understand, which was good because even repeating that one word seemed too much for her right now. Moving up over her, he paused for a moment at the entrance, then slid smoothly inside her.

They both groaned at that, and his head fell forward until his forehead rested against hers. When his eyes opened, he was looking right into hers. He leaned down for another kiss. "I love you, Rose Tyler," he whispered, his face inches from her own.

She smiled fondly. "Well that's always nice to know."

He grinned, and then started to move leisurely within her and in an instant the teasing mood was gone. His movements were maddeningly slow as he pressed up, trying different angles and finding different spots of pleasure inside her. She was moaning almost continuously now, and as his tempo increased she felt the sweat sliding between their bodies. Impossibly she realized that she was almost there again, and when she felt his hand slide down between them, rubbing against her, she was lost, crying out again, feeling like this much pleasure might actually destroy her. At the edges of her mind she felt his rhythm speed up, then stutter. Heard the groan as he went still, his body limp against hers, his head hanging down, his arms barely managing to hold himself up enough not to crush her.

After their breathing had started to steady a bit, he rolled off, reaching out to pull her tight against his chest. Her head rested against his shoulder as if it had been made to fit there, and she traced her hand absently across his chest as she waited for her muscles to stop shaking.

When she'd gotten most of her breath back, she smiled up at him, biting her lip playfully. "I guess in nine centuries you _do_ learn an awful lot about 'dancing'. I'm one lucky girl."

He laughed then, hugging her tighter for a moment, then reaching up to play with the tendrils of hair around her face. "I think I'm supposed to now say that I'm actually the lucky one, but honestly... I still don't even believe this is real."

The love in his eyes made her chest ache, and she wondered how she could ever have doubted how he felt about her.

"Well, we'll try again in the morning and see if you believe it then." She laid her hand flat on his chest as if swearing an oath. "I'm willing to give it as many goes as necessary to convince you."

They were both laughing as they settled down, curled around each other, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> _Originally posted at [A Teaspoon And An Open Mind](http://www.whofic.com/viewuser.php?uid=1190) and before that in [my LiveJournal](http://diannelamerc.livejournal.com/189614.html)._


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